Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been following the story about the 6th illegal immigrant caught in Mo Co for sexual offenses. Although we are no longer in that county, I have friends and family who are not happy with this open-door policy, especially since it's making national news. The county says it's technically NOT a sanctuary city, even though, according to Elrich, "Our law enforcement and other support agencies will continue to follow local laws, rules and regulations. As a matter of policy, we do not inquire about anyone's immigration status to support immigration enforcement, nor do we conduct immigration raids or investigations."

The resistance to common sense measures is baffling, as people seem to forget how immigration was handled under Obama. While this topic has been raised many times, I'm sharing this editorial from 2015 -WP - in order to support why people are appalled with today's situation. I believe it's worthy of its own thread. The latest (#6) was Nestor Lopez-Guzman, who repeatedly molested a 12 yo girl and her brother. The county can thank County Executive Elrich for allowing this to happen.

OP, I have an easy answer to your question. It has nothing to do with liberal or conservative politics or who’s in the Oval Office. This is a law enforcement strategy that has sound reasons and years of statistics behind it.

Undocumented immigrants tend to avoid the police because they fear referrals to ICE. Many believe that any law enforcement officer (LEO) can initiate the deportation process. While this may seem like an exaggeration, those who have volunteered with speakers of other languages and worked in law enforcement can verify. Even election workers and volunteers see a reluctance among Spanish speaking citizens to be near polling centers because of fear of LEO presence and concern about extended family in vehicles.

This fear becomes a problem when people won’t report crime. We know that domestic abusers are more likely to be violent outside the home. Someone who is sexually violent toward a family member should certainly be stopped too. As well, undocumented immigrants are more likely to be targeted for crimes due to limited English proficiency, likely lower income, and legal status. They experience everything from substandard, illegal rental housing, to wage theft, to vandalism, to gang violence. LEO’s in some jurisdictions want to reduce these crimes by encouraging reporting and good relationships with the immigrant community.

The numbers of undocumented immigrants in our country are too great to deport everyone. Legal issues aside, we don’t have the resources for it. So even if deportation is your political priority, you need a way to identify the immigrants who are the greatest threat. Getting tips to law enforcement is one of the best tools we have in that regard. That’s true “common sense.”

Last, even though LEO’s do not conduct raids and nor do they report individuals to ICE, they do often have a policy of turning over convicted criminals to ICE. In DC, for example, jail inmates are checked against ICE wanted lists, and ICE is notified of their impending release. ICE then has the option of coming to pick up directly as someone leaves custody of the DC jail.

Bolded part is very true. You can talk to any LEO of large cities. They do not want illegal immigrants to be afraid of reporting crimes, especially violent ones. That is how you get those bad guys off the streets.

Also, county/city prisons aren't that big, and they run out of space. It gets so bad that they have to let criminals go because of the lack of space. Does OP really want our prisons to be used to house nonviolent illegal immigrants instead of violent criminals, no matter their status? Seems counter to what OP is ranting about, ie, getting violent illegal immigrants off the streets.

And in regards to the finger printing, again, I highly doubt that conservatives would want the government to store every single person's fingerprints, nor do businesses want the added overhead of having to do this. But, I tell you what.. when LEO start stopping very single person to ask for papers, no matter the skin color, then you might be on to something. But until then, only stopping brown people who look a certain way to ask for papers would be considered racial profiling. Perhaps, LEO should stop every single white male and check their cars for weapons in case they are intending to commit mass shootings. Those white mass shooters are scarier IMO than brown illegal immigrants.

Anonymous wrote:I've been following the story about the 6th illegal immigrant caught in Mo Co for sexual offenses. Although we are no longer in that county, I have friends and family who are not happy with this open-door policy, especially since it's making national news. The county says it's technically NOT a sanctuary city, even though, according to Elrich, "Our law enforcement and other support agencies will continue to follow local laws, rules and regulations. As a matter of policy, we do not inquire about anyone's immigration status to support immigration enforcement, nor do we conduct immigration raids or investigations."

The resistance to common sense measures is baffling, as people seem to forget how immigration was handled under Obama. While this topic has been raised many times, I'm sharing this editorial from 2015 -WP - in order to support why people are appalled with today's situation. I believe it's worthy of its own thread. The latest (#6) was Nestor Lopez-Guzman, who repeatedly molested a 12 yo girl and her brother. The county can thank County Executive Elrich for allowing this to happen.

OP, I have an easy answer to your question. It has nothing to do with liberal or conservative politics or who’s in the Oval Office. This is a law enforcement strategy that has sound reasons and years of statistics behind it.

Undocumented immigrants tend to avoid the police because they fear referrals to ICE. Many believe that any law enforcement officer (LEO) can initiate the deportation process. While this may seem like an exaggeration, those who have volunteered with speakers of other languages and worked in law enforcement can verify. Even election workers and volunteers see a reluctance among Spanish speaking citizens to be near polling centers because of fear of LEO presence and concern about extended family in vehicles.

This fear becomes a problem when people won’t report crime. We know that domestic abusers are more likely to be violent outside the home. Someone who is sexually violent toward a family member should certainly be stopped too. As well, undocumented immigrants are more likely to be targeted for crimes due to limited English proficiency, likely lower income, and legal status. They experience everything from substandard, illegal rental housing, to wage theft, to vandalism, to gang violence. LEO’s in some jurisdictions want to reduce these crimes by encouraging reporting and good relationships with the immigrant community.

The numbers of undocumented immigrants in our country are too great to deport everyone. Legal issues aside, we don’t have the resources for it. So even if deportation is your political priority, you need a way to identify the immigrants who are the greatest threat. Getting tips to law enforcement is one of the best tools we have in that regard. That’s true “common sense.”

Last, even though LEO’s do not conduct raids and nor do they report individuals to ICE, they do often have a policy of turning over convicted criminals to ICE. In DC, for example, jail inmates are checked against ICE wanted lists, and ICE is notified of their impending release. ICE then has the option of coming to pick up directly as someone leaves custody of the DC jail.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


I get that. But my question is this - Who at the local level is willing to fight this? I don't want a police state, but the insistence that our own protective forces cannot do this basic, essential job is maddening.

Add to that the hype around sanctuary cities, and this situation further polarizes us. The idea of sanctuary has been around forever but it started in the 80s as a way to protect refugees. At this point, it's been "extended" to protect anyone who's here illegally.

I understand stereotyping. I know that not all illegal immigrants are criminals. But if some a**hole is pulled over for drunk driving and is arrested for almost killing someone, what's the lag time between the the LEA arrest and the ICE contact? And at this point, how does LEA determine if ICE is necessary?

It's a basic, essential job that is not the job of county police.

Checking someone's fingerprints isnt some long hard task. Give it a break. No one is saying sanctuary counties like MoCo need to participate in raids but running a computer check and picking up the phone isnt some huge drain on resources. Dont they help other police jurisdictions or do they shrug their shoulders if/when the FBI or others want to partner? This is a bs excuse that its not their jobs to help ICE. At least politicians should have the courage to admit they want to make it harder to deport people here illegally so that they can continue to collect CASA donation checks.

So you are okay with the police taking your finger prints every time you get a speeding ticket?

My prints are already on file b/c of a thorough background check.

Check out Eurodac. Unfortunately, the overwhelming number of migrants entering European counties put a strain on the process. So many were not fingerprinted. Still, if Europe can do it . . .

I'm 100% sure that conservatives would NOT be ok with fingerprinting everyone, except maybe brown skin people. Something about individual liberties and right to privacy.

Anonymous wrote:

My prints are already on file b/c of a thorough background check.

Check out Eurodac. Unfortunately, the overwhelming number of migrants entering European counties put a strain on the process. So many were not fingerprinted. Still, if Europe can do it . . .

So you want a national government fingerprint database that everyone is in? I think that's an alarming idea, but even if it weren't, it's not something that Montgomery County can do.

Anonymous wrote:
Where am I placing blame all on Mo Co?

from my response above: Why bother having ICE if they're not called or if they refuse to do their jobs? And why tie down the police for that matter?

You see, I'm QUESTIONING the process, which is indeed a circus, instead of saying, "Oh well, what can you do???? Our hands are tied."

People are doing something by reacting, by contacting their reps, by getting their stories out there. But the county is so over-the-top progressive, which means voices are drowned out.

Again, I'd rather know someone's status b/c it's easier to track people. And if you're innocent, there's nothing to worry about, right? The EU uses digital identity (scanning for prints). I had to have multiple background checks for my job. So if it's good for me . . .

Bolded comes across as blaming MoCo.

Again, what is it that you want MoCo to do exactly? Your job requires background checks. A person who mows lawns or buses your table at a restaurant is not required to have background checks.

Yes, something is broken in our system, but I am still very unclear what you want MoCo to do without outright being the immigration police, which again, is not their job.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


I get that. But my question is this - Who at the local level is willing to fight this? I don't want a police state, but the insistence that our own protective forces cannot do this basic, essential job is maddening.

Add to that the hype around sanctuary cities, and this situation further polarizes us. The idea of sanctuary has been around forever but it started in the 80s as a way to protect refugees. At this point, it's been "extended" to protect anyone who's here illegally.

I understand stereotyping. I know that not all illegal immigrants are criminals. But if some a**hole is pulled over for drunk driving and is arrested for almost killing someone, what's the lag time between the the LEA arrest and the ICE contact? And at this point, how does LEA determine if ICE is necessary?

It's a basic, essential job that is not the job of county police.

Checking someone's fingerprints isnt some long hard task. Give it a break. No one is saying sanctuary counties like MoCo need to participate in raids but running a computer check and picking up the phone isnt some huge drain on resources. Dont they help other police jurisdictions or do they shrug their shoulders if/when the FBI or others want to partner? This is a bs excuse that its not their jobs to help ICE. At least politicians should have the courage to admit they want to make it harder to deport people here illegally so that they can continue to collect CASA donation checks.

So you are okay with the police taking your finger prints every time you get a speeding ticket?

My prints are already on file b/c of a thorough background check.

Check out Eurodac. Unfortunately, the overwhelming number of migrants entering European counties put a strain on the process. So many were not fingerprinted. Still, if Europe can do it . . .

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


I get that. But my question is this - Who at the local level is willing to fight this? I don't want a police state, but the insistence that our own protective forces cannot do this basic, essential job is maddening.

Add to that the hype around sanctuary cities, and this situation further polarizes us. The idea of sanctuary has been around forever but it started in the 80s as a way to protect refugees. At this point, it's been "extended" to protect anyone who's here illegally.

I understand stereotyping. I know that not all illegal immigrants are criminals. But if some a**hole is pulled over for drunk driving and is arrested for almost killing someone, what's the lag time between the the LEA arrest and the ICE contact? And at this point, how does LEA determine if ICE is necessary?

It's a basic, essential job that is not the job of county police.

Checking someone's fingerprints isnt some long hard task. Give it a break. No one is saying sanctuary counties like MoCo need to participate in raids but running a computer check and picking up the phone isnt some huge drain on resources. Dont they help other police jurisdictions or do they shrug their shoulders if/when the FBI or others want to partner? This is a bs excuse that its not their jobs to help ICE. At least politicians should have the courage to admit they want to make it harder to deport people here illegally so that they can continue to collect CASA donation checks.

So you are okay with the police taking your finger prints every time you get a speeding ticket?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


I get that. But my question is this - Who at the local level is willing to fight this? I don't want a police state, but the insistence that our own protective forces cannot do this basic, essential job is maddening.

Add to that the hype around sanctuary cities, and this situation further polarizes us. The idea of sanctuary has been around forever but it started in the 80s as a way to protect refugees. At this point, it's been "extended" to protect anyone who's here illegally.

I understand stereotyping. I know that not all illegal immigrants are criminals. But if some a**hole is pulled over for drunk driving and is arrested for almost killing someone, what's the lag time between the the LEA arrest and the ICE contact? And at this point, how does LEA determine if ICE is necessary?

It's a basic, essential job that is not the job of county police.

Checking someone's fingerprints isnt some long hard task. Give it a break. No one is saying sanctuary counties like MoCo need to participate in raids but running a computer check and picking up the phone isnt some huge drain on resources. Dont they help other police jurisdictions or do they shrug their shoulders if/when the FBI or others want to partner? This is a bs excuse that its not their jobs to help ICE. At least politicians should have the courage to admit they want to make it harder to deport people here illegally so that they can continue to collect CASA donation checks.

How long would you imagine you would be held to check your fingerprints?